Super Bowl 2021, Buccaneers vs. Chiefs: What to know about Super Bowl LV, time, how to watch, TV, streaming

Super Bowl LV between Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is sure to be one for the ages. There couldn’t be better storylines for the 55th annual showdown between the best of the best in the NFL, set in the Bucs’ Raymond James Stadium no less! 

For the second time this season, the Chiefs and Bucs will go head to head — only this time with a Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl rings on the line. Whoever takes it home will be making history: Mahomes is fighting to go back to back as the youngest QB to appear in consecutive Super Bowls and win his second Super Bowl ring, while Brady is looking to capture a seventh ring in his NFL-record 10th Super Bowl appearance.

How can you tune in? Where can you stream the Super Bowl? Who’s expected to win? 

We’ve got answers to all your Super Bowl questions, right here, right now:

Who’s in the Super Bowl?

This year’s championship will be played between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Want all the info on Super Bowl LV? Here are 55 things to know for Super Bowl LV’s matchup between Buccaneers and Chiefs.

The Chiefs will be making their fourth-ever Super Bowl appearance, first representing the AFC (then the AFL) in Super Bowl I against the Packers, then returning to the big game in the 1969 and 2019 seasons. The Bucs will be making just their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, and their first in 18 years. 

For a look at every starter and key role players for Chiefs vs. Buccaneers click here. CBS Sports Senior Writer Pete Prisco even ranked every single starter for the Big Game.

How did they get here?

The Chiefs are no strangers to the Super Bowl, having won it just last season. But this year, they were arguably even more dominant, seemingly going half-speed en route to a 14-2 finish, with Patrick Mahomes returning to the MVP race to help Kansas City lock up the AFC’s No. 1 seed. With an opportunistic defense under Steve Spagnuolo and an offense loaded with the league’s most reliably explosive weapons — from Mahomes to Tyreek Hill to Travis Kelce to, heck, even Mecole Hardman — they fended off a feisty Browns team in the divisional round despite a late head injury to Mahomes, then cruised past the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night, claiming their second AFC title in as many seasons.

The Buccaneers haven’t played on Super Sunday since Brad Johnson, Mike Alstott, Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch were starring on their team back in 2002. But this year, unlike any other before, they had Tom Brady. At 43, Brady hasn’t been perfect, but he’s certainly still been dropping dimes, carrying momentum from a 40-touchdown regular season, when Tampa Bay went 11-5 in its second year under coach Bruce Arians, into the playoffs. After edging Washington in the wild-card round and then riding a big defensive showing over the Saints in New Orleans, the Bucs outdid Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay to claim the NFC title, with Brady throwing deep early and often to give Tampa a two-score lead that the Packers could never surmount. 

Though this is a quarterback matchup for the ages, Super Bowl LV may feature one of the most talented WR groups in NFL championship history. To read about the wideouts who will steal the show — from Tyreek Hill to Mike Evans — click here.

What happened when they last played?

Great question! And how observant of you, knowing that the Chiefs and Buccaneers met earlier this season — in Week 12, to be exact. When the two sides clashed then, on Nov. 29, the Chiefs went up big early on, taking a 17-0 lead as Tyreek Hill exploded past Tampa Bay’s secondary, but the Bucs pulled within three in the fourth quarter thanks to some of Brady’s own magic. Ultimately, Andy Reid and Co. sealed the victory, 27-24.

As for what may happen in the rematch? Click here for some bold predictions for Super Bowl LV.

When is the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LV will be played on Sunday, Feb. 7, with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.

The Big Game is almost here, and you can watch it for free on the CBS Sports App.

Where is the Super Bowl?

Super Bowl LV will be played at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers, in Tampa, Florida.

This will be the first-ever Super Bowl where one of the participating teams is playing in its own stadium. Raymond James Stadium will be making its third Super Bowl appearance, having hosted before at the end of the 2008 and 2000 seasons. It will be the fifth time that Tampa has played host to a Super Bowl, with the since-demolished Tampa Stadium first holding the big game back in January 1984.

Who’s favored to win?

The reigning champion Chiefs are currently slight favorites in Super Bowl LV, with William Hill Sportsbook have Kansas City as 3-point favorites ahead of Feb. 7’s championship.

And here’s the latest from SportsLine stats specialist Stephen Oh:

Have a feeling that we may have Kansas City as a slightly higher favorite after the stats from Sunday are processed, but the initial forecast has the Chiefs as a 55 percent favorite to beat Tampa Bay with an average sim score of Chiefs 28, Buccaneers 26.

How to watch Super Bowl LV

Below, you’ll find all the ways you can tune into Super Bowl LV, whether on TV or via streaming:

TV: CBS | Stream: FREE on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App

How to watch pregame coverage

This year, CBS Sports is offering extensive access to pregame Super Bowl LV coverage.

CBS is providing viewers with seven hours of Super Bowl pregame coverage on Sunday, beginning with That Other Pregame Show (11:30 a.m. ET); followed by NFL Films special, Road to the Super Bowl (Noon, ET); Tony goes to the Super Bowl (1 p.m., ET), The Super Bowl Today (2 p.m., ET) and Super Bowl on CBS Kick-Off Show (6 p.m., ET).

CBS Sports HQ, the 24/7 streaming sports news network available for free across digital platforms, services and connected devices, will be live from Tampa during the week leading up to CBS Sports’ live stream of the game. Beginning Monday, Feb. 1, CBS Sports HQ will deliver on-site programming and reports throughout each day, and on game day will stream live pregame coverage, plus postgame analysis and highlights.

Starting at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 7, CBS Sports’ streaming coverage will also be available to viewers across an expanded lineup of platforms and devices, including unauthenticated at CBSSports.com and on the CBS Sports app for OTT devices and services, smart TVs and mobile devices.